AICR's Foods that Fight Cancer™

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has launched a new web-based tool that details the current state of the research on the food-cancer link, and offers practical strategies for adding cancer-protective foods to the day.

AICR's Foods that Fight Cancer™, a major update and expansion of a popular section of the AICR website, features the foods AICR gets asked about most frequently. Starting with four of the most asked-about foods (including blueberries, cruciferous vegetables and flaxseed), AICR will add or significantly update new foods every month.

"Our goal is to provide a practical and accessible web resource that people interested in lowering cancer risk can use as they plan meals, and that health professionals can use to stay abreast of the latest evidence-based information, and answer their patients' questions," says AICR's Nutrition Communications Manager Alice Bender, MS, RD.

AICR's Foods that Fight Cancer™ details the strength of current evidence linking a given food to lower cancer risk by presenting the conclusions of systematic reviews of the scientific literature conducted in AICR's expert report and its updates. But it also highlights open areas of investigation – the ongoing research in labs, clinics and populations that is seeking to answer still-lingering questions.

"We're looking at whole new ways that fruits, vegetables, whole grains and their compounds can be protective."

Along with the (thoroughly cited) research on the foods' cancer-protective potential, AICR's Foods That Fight Cancer™ provides recipes, tips for cooking and purchasing, and links to relevant resources. Users can receive personalized responses to their diet-cancer questions by using the Ask the Expert tool.

"We're looking at whole new ways that fruits, vegetables, whole grains and their compounds can be protective," said AICR Nutrition Advisor Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, an expert on diet and cancer prevention who worked with AICR to examine the research and develop the Foods That Fight Cancer content.

Recent findings in genetics, colon bacteria metabolism, life-course development and epigenetics – turning genes "on" and "off" – are only beginning to unravel the protective role of foods among populations.

"There are so many different pathways by which these compounds can have an effect. It's so complex and incredible, and there's so much to learn… I think the science looking at the link between foods and cancer risk is now more promising than ever," said Collins.